Matte surface films have a variety of useful purposes. Primarily, they form a good background for displaying printed or artful images on the film. The images can be printed onto the matte surface film by any conventional plastic printing process.
Mobil Chemical Company film product "70 MLT" is a matte surface biaxially oriented multilayer film. The base layer is oriented polypropylene and the matte surface skin layer comprises a mixture of polyethylenes and an ethylene-propylene-butene-1 terpolymer. The matte surface film has a dull surface appearance; that is, it is not shiny or glossy. Such a surface appearance is not typical of most biaxially oriented films used in packaging but is advantageous in that it provides an unusual appearance when reverse printed on the side opposite to the matte surface.
While the above-described matte surface film is excellent in many respects, it would be desirable to produce a matte surface film that can be easily cut through and yet is suitable for a variety of applications (e.g., packaging or label applications).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,757 to Schuhmann, et al. discloses an opaque, matte, multilayer polypropylene film having at least one base layer and at least one interlayer, and an outer layer applied to this interlayer. The base layer includes polypropylene and fillers. The interlayer includes a mixture or blend of two components I and II, wherein component I is a propylene homopolymer or a copolymer of .alpha.-olefins having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, or a terpolymer of .alpha.-olefins having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, or a mixture or blend of these polymers and component II is a high density polyethylene (HDPE) or a blend of HDPE and a propylene homopolymer or copolymer of a copolymer of .alpha.-olefins having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, or a terpolymer of .alpha.-olefins having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, or a mixture or blend of these polymers. The outer layer essentially includes a copolymer of .alpha.-olefins having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, or a terpolymer of .alpha.-olefins having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, or a mixture or blend of these polymers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,717 to Peiffer, et al. discloses a heat-sealable, shrinkable multilayer film which comprises at least one base layer containing a propylene polymer or a propylene polymer mixture and at least one outer layer which comprises a mixture or blend of two components I and II, wherein the mixture contains copolymers or terpolymers of .alpha.-olefins having 2 to 10 carbon atoms and HDPE.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,600 to Peiffer, et al. discloses a multilayer polypropylene film which contains at least one base layer containing polypropylene or a polypropylene mixture and resin, and at least one outer layer which contains a mixture or blend of two components I and II.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,563 to Schumann, et al. discloses an opaque, matte, multilayer polypropylene film including at least one base layer comprising polypropylene or a polypropylene mixture and fillers, and at least one outer layer which contains a mixture or blend of two components I and II.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,369 to Peiffer, et al. discloses a matte multilayer polypropylene film which includes at least one base layer containing polypropylene and migrating additives or a mixture of migrating additives, and at least one outer layer which includes a mixture or blend of two components I and II.
None of these references, however, disclose or suggest a matte surface film having improved cuttability in which the base layer contains HDPE.